


moonrise, sunset

by prismpearl



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - College/University, Badass Katara (Avatar), Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Mystery, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25660612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prismpearl/pseuds/prismpearl
Summary: ***CURRENTLY UPDATING***It's been five years since the war has ended, and the new era of love and peace under Fire Lord Zuko's rule has seemingly brought harmony to all four nations. Katara, now nineteen and seasoned from years of travel with Aang, has decided that she's seen enough of the world from atop the Avatar's sky bison, at least for now. She arrives in the Fire Nation where Lord Zuko has established New Caldera University, hoping to supplement her master waterbending and healing skills with classes on public policy, medicine, music, and anything else she can think of. As she throws herself into her new academic ambitions, she finds an old friend to be her study partner and accompany her on her journey to discover her place in a rapidly changing world.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 30
Collections: Zutara Week 2020





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> A "I wanted to read it, so I'm writing it" kind of situation: Katara and Zuko College AU set in the (mostly) canon universe (Kataang aren't involved like that here mostly bc it makes me sad in most fics when they make Aang weirdly pushy and overbearing). Slow burn friends to lovers complete with project partners tropes and late night study dates by the turtleduck pond, enjoy!

"Name?"

Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe. 

"Identification?"

Four...six...five...four. 

A heavy key slid towards Katara, carving a neat arc in the thin layer of dust covering the countertop. She picked it up, after a brief inspection dropping it in her palm and closing her fingers around the burnished metal. 

She flashed a brief smile at the elderly Fire Nation woman across the counter, who responded with a wrinkly grin. 

"Your room is on the first floor, Number 107. Enjoy your time here, Your Highness."

Katara, who was bent over in the process of hauling up her heavy burlap knapsack and water skin, suddenly froze. She lifted her head, peering at the woman from behind a curtain of thick black-brown hair draping across her shoulder. Cautious blue met twinkling amber. A weighted moment passed before she cleared her throat and straightened, bowing to the old lady and mumbling a susurrate "thank you." 

Slinging her belongings across her back, she quickly made her way out of the cramped office and into the late afternoon sunlight of the flagstone plaza. Fall was arriving in the Fire Nation, and while her eyes watered as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, she was grateful that the summer's usual sticky humidity had mellowed into dry sunbaked heat.

A long line of people stretched for what seemed like miles from the small residence affairs office Katara had just escaped from, and she eagerly looked upon the many faces of her now fellow classmates as she passed. They seemed to be young descendants of Fire Nation nobility, judging from their refined silken red and gold attire, most of them no older than twenty. New Caldera University had only been opened to the public one year prior, at an opening ceremony she had attended with the rest of Team Avatar. Arm in arm with Aang, she had been standing here awestruck with the rest of the crowd as Fire Lord Zuko, with a spectacular show of Dragon's Breath, had lit the large white marble torch that sat in the middle of the newly built plaza.

Now a year later, the university was filled to the brim with hundreds of students attending lectures in the large, open-air halls, milling about in the cooling green courtyards, and doing almost anything but studying in the palatial residential buildings. Katara was making her way there now, head ducked down and stepping lightly over the flagstones past the students still waiting to receive their own room keys.

A slight frown began to play upon her lips as she looked more closely at the faces of her fellow classmates as she walked by. She had noticed that many of them seemed to be Fire Nation nobility before, but she now saw that in actuality, it was an overwhelming majority. Counting silently in her head, she tallied three Water Tribe students dressed in light blue caribou skin shifts like her own, and two from the Earth Kingdom robed in flowing dark green.

Five. Five among hundreds. 

Of course, Katara knew that the university being located in the Fire Nation meant that travelers would have to spend days at sea to reach the mainland. Though, she felt in her heart that surely all of the nations should be able to send a good number of their children here to receive an education. This was a public university, after all, not a school for the wealthy. 

Like Ba Sing Se University in its namesake city, she recalled that Lord Zuko had publicly decreed to his citizens that he wanted to open an institution of a similar caliber in his home city. She also knew secretly, as he had pulled her aside behind an elderberry bush after the opening ceremony, that while he truly did want to open the school in the name of higher education, he was also facing immense pressure from the Minister of Public Affairs. 

In his seedy politician's eyes, he saw rose-tinted visions of indoctrinated university graduates filling the open seats of upper Fire Nation government, ensuring year after year of seemingly stable and homogenous rule.

To Katara, that seemed preposterous. How would any nation grow if its own institutions never received fresh perspective? How would a nation prosper if it was fueled solely by the same ideas and teachings that were no doubt to be propagandistic in nature?

As she voiced her concerns to Zuko behind the elderberry bush, she remembered seeing his clear golden eyes harden in fierce acknowledgment. He would never say it, but she knew that he trusted her judgement with his life, which had quite literally been in her hands not too long ago. He had promised her back then to keep an eye out for scholars and professors who would easily fall victim to governmental coercion, personally traveling around the world himself to only hire the best and most hardy. She could only hope that he had kept his promise.

Katara continued to walk along the flagstone path, the previously extensive line of students now dwindling. As she passed by a particularly tall Fire Nation boy towards the end of the line, she made the mistake of looking directly into eyes. Instantly, recognition flashed silver in his sharp gaze as he zeroed in on her navy Water Tribe clothing and the water skin resting heavily on her back. Realizing too late, Katara quickly ducked her head and shielded her face behind her hair, speeding up her steps to match the sudden anxious racing of her own heart. 

She absolutely despised being recognized.

Back in the residence affairs office, the old lady behind the reception desk had known, likely from her name, that she was the Souther Water Tribe Princess who had accompanied the Avatar on his quest to save the world. The first few months after Ozai had fallen, the acknowledgement from people far and wide had been beyond rewarding. She was lauded for not only defeating the world's most formidable firebender Princess Azula at fourteen, but also for achieving the superhuman feat of healing what should have been a fatal blow to the life of the now beloved Fire Lord.

Katara was aware that many people now considered her the most powerful waterbender in the world, but as the years wore on, the title began to chip away at her like a finely-crafted water whip.

She wasn't a war hero, at least she didn't think so.

Anyone in her place would have done all that they could to take down megalomanic Azula. Anyone would've dropped to their knees, sobbing as they tried to knit together the charred flesh of their friend as they slipped away right in front of their eyes. No one would ever know all the things the did. The dark thoughts that stained her mind like spilled ink as she twisted the flailing limbs of the Southern Raider. The murderous intent that clouded her vision as she stared into Yon Rha's terrified eyes and saw her own reflection crowned by razor-sharp icicles. After a while, she didn't feel especially brave, or selfless or strong.

The approving smiles and solemn nods from people who had heard of her prodigious feats no longer served to validate her, instead only reminding her of a reputation she now had to uphold.

One that she never wanted in the first place.

One that she didn't deserve.

Katara's bitter thoughts swirled like a Southern polar snowstorm in her mind as she rushed past the Fire Nation boy, not paying attention to the way the strap of her water skin was precariously sliding off her sun-browned shoulder. Jostled by her quick movements, the sealskin strap slipped further and further until it finally gave way and fell towards the flagstones. 

Before Katara registered that the skin was missing from her back, she sensed something else first, her sharp skills as a seasoned fighter allowing her to feel a body close in her periphery. The scent of something deeply warm and spiced gently wafted to her nose, and she whirled on the spot, instinctively sliding her right foot back into a combative stance.

Her eyes widened.

A tall, well-muscled man dressed head to toe in black was holding her water skin out to her, hood up and head angled away so as to hide his face in shadow. Bewildered, Katara reached out to grab it, her fingers brushing something cool and smooth as she did so. As the stranger took his hand away, she realized what it was that she touched as a heavy gold ring delicately encircling his right ring finger flashed brilliantly in the setting sun.

She blinked, momentarily blinded by the ring's intensity, and raised her head to utter a word of thanks to him.

But he was already gone.


	2. chapter two

Dappled sunlight filtered through the linen curtain of the open window, an early morning breeze fluttering the cloth. 

Katara lay face up on her cot, eyes closed and silently breathing in the clean air of the new day. Violet circles haunted the delicate skin under her eyes, her lashes ghosting the faint shadows with each breath she took. 

She wasn't asleep, although she desperately wished she was. Her mind had been racing in combination with the prickly dry heat of the Fire Nation night, making for a fitful few hours that seemed like days. 

It was him. 

It had to be, even though she hadn't seen or heard from him in months. She'd recognize it anywhere. Cloves and warm spice, with a hint of ginger. It was the scent of his incense that hung in dense clouds in the corridor of the Ember Island beach house, letting everyone in the vicinity know that he was meditating and was absolutely not to be disturbed by anyone, if they knew what was good for them. 

Katara could never forget the scent. Especially not when, without really knowing why, she used to crack her door open ever so slightly so that fragrant wisps of smoke could creep in and sink into the fibers of her clothes and the strands of her hair. 

It wasn't the who that was bothering her. 

It was the why. And it had been plaguing her all night right up until now, worsened by her anxieties of being far from home. Her restless mind brought memories of him to the surface, taking shape in illusory shadows cast upon the rice paper-covered walls of her dormitory. 

With a groan, Katara stumbled out of her cot, tripping on the thin cotton sheet twisted around her legs from the night's tossing and turning. 

She was going to be late and had thought about him long enough. She'd be damned if she let him do any more damage than disrupt a precious night's rest before her very first day of classes. She resolutely decided that he was likely here to do a routine check-up on the university and its students, and that was that. Maybe she would pencil in a visit to the palace later this week to demand to know what was going on, and why he had taken on inspectorial duties dressed like a royal assassin. 

Staggering to the large wooden water bowl on the counter, she let out another groan as she took in her disheveled appearance reflected in the water. With a scowl, she painfully disentangled two blue clay beads from her hair and quickly gathered the entire thick shock in a high knot.  
Tipping her face towards the bowl, she took a deep breath and released it through her nose, causing the glassy surface to ripple as a rush of icy air cooled the liquid within. She bent a clear stream gently onto her forehead and sighed in relief as the heat dissipated from her flushed skin. 

Within minutes, she had wrested her hair into a traditional Fire Nation topknot and slipped into the change of clothes she had brought. An odd sense of guilt settled over her as she pulled on the deep red skirt and matching bell-sleeved linen top over her white bindings. 

The cropped material was light on her skin, expertly engineered to wick away moisture and heat, but heavy on her heart as her eyes darted to where her blue Water Tribe shift lay discarded on the dressing table. She thought back to the three students she had seen in similar clothing, and regretted that she wouldn't be able to join them in solidarity. There was no way she could risk wearing her old clothes, especially not after yesterday. 

It was easier this way. The more she conformed, the more she became yet another student, the less she had to think about her true identity and the burdens that came with it. 

That was the reason she came here, anyway. To finally do something for herself, hopefully in the form of an education that she could turn into something more fulfilling than fighting innumerable enemies. 

Spirits, was she tired of fighting, she thought, as she turned to rummage in her knapsack. There was only so much satisfaction to be gleaned from knocking out and tying up countless rogues and petty thieves. 

A glance at her schedule scroll cramped with her neat handwriting told her she had medicinal herbology in less than an hour. Her fingers reached deep into the recesses of the bloated pack filled to the brim with dried rations upon Gran-Gran's insistence, finally drawing out a plump stick of oily seal jerky. Sticking it in her mouth as a poor excuse for a morning meal, she gathered her school materials-- brushes, ink, and extra parchment scrolls -- and packed them into a smaller bag. She had one hand on the gleaming door handle when a sudden wayward ray of sunlight streamed in from the window, spilling across her body and refracting into millions of dancing diamonds on the wall. 

Her hand flew to her neck. 

Her mother's necklace. 

A cursory look into the reflective water bowl confirmed it. She quickly pulled her hair to the side, untying the navy ribbon. 

The precious stone rested in her palm, catching the buttery light and allowing it to slip unburdened and glittering along the engraved curved pattern like a river. 

This, a part of her identity she could not leave so easily behind. 

It had been simple enough to remove it all those years ago, when her found family was there to soothe the memory of the one she had lost. 

But here, miles away from home, she was alone. 

So she deftly bound the silken ribbon to her left wrist, hid it from view with her sleeve, and exited her room, her pulse jumping out against the stone with every heartbeat. 

\---------------------------------------

It was almost eight in the evening as Katara hurried down the grassy pathway lined with low hanging jasmine trees, the gentle wind loosening white petals and settling them in her hair. Watery moonlight illuminated one side of her tired face, and the other half was awash with the golden glow of the lanterns lighting up the path before her. 

The day had been nothing short of exhausting, both mentally and physically. Her music theory class had been in the afternoon following herbology, where she had made fast friends with Jianyi of Omashu. Katara had exchanged simple pleasantries with her, such as where to buy the required reading scrolls and whether or not the professor was bound to be a pain in the moon peach. 

Jianyi's green eyes reminded her of her sister-in-law, sending a brief twinge through Katara's heart as she remembered today was her and Sokka's one-year wedding anniversary. Wistfulness enveloped her at the thought of Suki and her brother, who was right now likely getting lovingly scolded to wipe the sea prune bits from the corner of his mouth before any of the guests noticed. 

But as quickly as it came, her nostalgia faded into resolve as Katara arrived at her destination: Kiyi Hall. She pulled open the heavy mahogany double doors and walked a short stretch of corridor that fed into an enormous open-air space. 

Her legs itched to take her to the front row of cushioned wooden benches, but as she had done twice previously today, she forced herself to ascend the tiered stone steps leading to the seats in the back of the hall. 

She passed hundreds of students that were already seated despite there being fifteen minutes left to the hour, feeling thoroughly self-conscious and very aware of the way the hem of blouse hit just below her ribs as she caught the unwanted leers of more than a few Fire Nation boys. She was grateful as she finally reached the penultimate row of seats, where the orange lantern light illuminating the majority of room didn't quite reach. Melting into the shadows, Katara sank into the red cushion on the bench in front of two men seated behind her. 

Her lips curved slightly as she read the stone slate board in the front of the room chalked with their first assignment: read and take notes on the first eight chapters of Understanding Public Policy: Theories and Issues. She had visited the library the night prior, passing by the book and making a mental note of its position while exploring the hundreds of shelves. Eagerness and slight humor filled her at the thought of spending long nights cozied up with a long scroll and a cup of tea, the very habit which had earned her the honorific title of "Nerd Queen" from Toph. 

She then pulled out her supplies and readied her brush to take notes, squinting in the low light as she inked "Lecture One" at the top of her parchment. She loaded the bristles with thick black ink again to mark the date below her tidy lettering, poising the quivering brush over the page when a muted hush suddenly rippled through the room. 

The professor had entered the hall. 

His expression was hard, his lined face showing years of wisdom imparted by strict discipline. His dark hair was severely pulled back into a traditional topknot, and his gilded dark robes were pressed and creased to perfection. 

Katara suppressed a gasp. 

Piandao. 

A sword master teaching public policy, which to Katara, strangely fit. The inner workings of government were unfortunately often sharp as they were ruthless, much like the steely shafts of twin Dao blades. 

"Welcome, class. Today, we start on our journey to mastering the wicked intricacies of policy. Put away your scrolls and brushes, there will be no need for them. You will listen, and you will memorize, for in government there is hardly ever the time or place to take notes," he boomed, the timbre of his voice filling every crevice of the room. 

Katara frowned as she made to place her supplies back into her pack with the rest of the class, thinking furiously of how she was ever meant to retain anything without notes, when suddenly something hard slammed into the back of her shoulder. A glass inkwell tumbled over her collarbone, spilling all over her front and staining her red top a deep velvety blue. 

Indignant, she twisted in her seat to face the man sitting behind her, ready to hurl a torrent of insults and queries about the existence of his intelligence. 

But her harsh words died on the tip of her tongue as a peculiar sense of something else hit her. 

Cloves and ginger. 

Slowly, slowly, a thread of silk wound itself through the air, deep and dark like smoke from a wooded campfire. 

A voice. 

"Katara?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really was not expecting anyone to even see this, thank you so much to everyone who read and commented :) Here's Chapter 2, where Academic!Zutara makes their first appearance, and in the next chapter, we find out why Zuko is really at the university!


	3. chapter three

"Zuko?"

His eyes widened slightly in the dim light as he leaned forward. 

"Keep your voice down!" he hissed, eyeing the students seated around them. 

Thankfully, no one seemed to have heard; they were all too engrossed in Piandao's lecture, hanging onto his every word. 

"You...here? At school...my shirt...you," Katara spluttered. 

The spilled blue ink was slowly seeping through her shirt, sure to leave a permanent stain. Zuko's glass ink well lay in her lap, glinting in the soft orange light. She looked up at him, still lost for words. 

She could barely make out his features in the partial darkness, but was just able to see the raised edge of his scar. She felt a familiar pang in her stomach and a cool sensation burn at her fingertips. The years still hadn't been kind enough to heal him from his indelible mark. If only she was able to, back then. 

Zuko leaned forward even more, until he was so close she could feel his presence all the way to the very ends of her nerves. Ink dripped from her hair as she pulled back, just a little. 

"Meet me in the square after class, I'll try to explain. 

And...sorry about your shirt...I was just....Yeah. Sorry." 

The smoke of his voice sent a thrill down her spine, accompanied by a strange feeling settling in her stomach from the lingering shyness in his tone. 

"Yeah, okay. Alright." 

She tentatively turned in her seat to face the front of the lecture hall, where Piandao was now launching into the second half of the lecture. 

The first half of which she had just missed by staring into Zuko's eyes. 

She sighed, shifting on the bench and trying to push unnecessary thoughts out of her mind to focus on the swordmaster’s sonorous voice. 

"...questions we should be asking ourselves, including arguments over whether state and local governments should invest more money in finding new fuel resources, or increase subsidies for public transportation and infrastructure?" 

Katara barely had the time to gather her concentration when her heart dropped to her stomach. 

Piandao was looking directly at her, his eagle eyes pinning her to her seat. 

"Master Katara, do you have any thoughts on this matter that you would like to share?" 

She cleared her throat and straightened her spine, silently berating him for using her real name, and Zuko for making her look like an oversized calligrapher's brush. 

"I...well. If it were up to me, the issue shouldn't be one-sided. State governments would invest more fully in finding new fuel resources and funding public transport, as we've already seen the harmful effects of continuing to use coal and oil in our factories. Pollution and waste have ravaged the Fire Nation's villages for quite some time, and it's the government's responsibility to combat this. 

In fact, those factories should have already be shifting away from high wartime production rates, since the war ended almost over five years ago now," she added, fighting to keep herself from shrinking back under the weight of hundreds of stares. 

A buzz of curious voices started to fill the room, mingling with the sound of chirping cicadas outside the hall. 

Piandao's expression remained unchanged, but Katara could have sworn she saw the barest hint of a smile curve his face before he turned sharply to begin pacing again. 

"Thank you, Master Katara. Let us now discuss the assignment which I have set for next week." 

She sat back, relieved at having survived his scrutiny, yet still wary as the students around her continued to shoot her furtive glances. 

Behind her, shrouded in shadow once more, the Fire Lord smiled. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wait! Hold on, stop walking so fast! Wait!" 

Katara panted as she struggled to keep up with the cloaked figure in the distance. 

Class had ended over fifteen minutes ago, and true to his word Zuko had been waiting in the quad for her, cutting a lonely figure in the pale moonlight. To her irritation, however, as soon as she neared him he had whirled around and begun walking at an unimaginably quick pace, forcing Katara to chase after him in his wake. 

After ten agonizing minutes, up ahead Zuko finally stopped in front of a residential building. It was smaller than the rest, and inconspicuously located between two classroom buildings instead of in the housing row with the others. Katara finally caught up to him, clutching a stitch in her side. She cast a glance down the darkened empty street they had just rushed down. 

"What-" she began, but stopped. 

He was no longer in front of her. 

She pushed open the heavy wooden door, her irritation growing with every step. Making her way up a rickety-looking staircase, she walked down a narrow hallway and finally came to a stop in front of the only door she could see, flanked by two nervous-looking guards. 

"Fire Lord Zuko is waiting for you inside, Lady Katara," the one on the left said. 

"Right. Thank you."

Offering them a polite smile, Katara entered the small room, stepping over the thin silver-plated threshold. 

"How much are you paying those guys to stand out there and look scared?"

The tall figure in the corner of the room turned away from the window in front of which he was standing. Something was balled in his right fist. 

"Katara," he said, stepping into the range of the lamp set on a cluttered desk to his right. For the first time, his features were thrown into sharp relief as the light hit his face. 

It was almost just as she remembered it, before she had left to Kyoshi Island with Aang and Sokka. Same broad shoulders, striking gold eyes, sloping nose, angular jaw, tips of grown-out hair kissing the edges of slightly furrowed eyebrows. Same pinkish skin encircling his left eye, and ear. 

Yet, something was different. 

His eyes held the slightest hints of reticence, of defeat. 

He looked tired. 

No, he looked exhausted, his normally imposing demeanor seeming to flicker in and out in the lamplight. 

He ignored her attempt at breaking the ice and held out the object he had been clutching in his fist. 

It was a shirt. One of his. 

It was then that Katara remembered her own had been incidentally dyed blue, and was now half-dried and sticking uncomfortably to her skin. 

She took it from him and Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly while turning to face the window once more, his hand creeping up to rub at the back of his neck. 

Confused, she stared at his broad back for a moment before belatedly realizing he had turned to give her some semblance of privacy, despite the fact that the room was so small she could probably stand at one end and cross it in less than two seconds. 

She retreated as best she could to the far end of the room, quickly peeling off the stained shirt and replacing it with his. As she slipped the soft heather-grey material over her head, she was immediately met with distinctive cloves and ginger. The scent calmed her, even though she hadn't even realized she was nervous. 

"I'm, um, finished," she said, prompting him to turn back around. 

She once again saw his expression, with the new addition of faint pink blooming just below his right cheekbone, but still just as exhausted as it was seconds ago, 

The lame joke about how long it had been since she had last saw him withered on her tongue. 

She took a step closer, not paying attention to how her pulse began jumping against the blue stone tied to her wrist. 

"Zuko.....what's going on?"

A long pause stretched for miles in the inches that separated them. 

He sighed, not meeting her eyes. 

"Me."

"What?"

"The throne. It's in danger."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update! Poor Zuko can never seem to catch a break, can he? I will be updating this story weekly, or as frequently as I can, and I anticipate it will be around 10-15 chapters. Enjoy!


	4. chapter four

Katara's mind was blank. 

Perched on the edge of Zuko's tiny cot, she absentmindedly toyed with a few drops of water she had pulled out of the small skin she had packed in her schoolbag, freezing it into a shimmering sphere of ice before liquefying it once more. 

"Can you run through it, just one more time?" she asked. "I'm just...still so confused." 

A sigh came from somewhere below her. 

After the initial shock had worn off, Katara had immediately demanded Zuko tell her every last bit of what was going on. 

And he had, two times now. After an hour or so, they had both tired of standing in the cramped space, and Katara had opted to sit on Zuko's cot while he took to the floor at her feet, back against the cluttered desk and long legs stretched out in front of him. 

"Like I said, the Nation's governors didn't take well to a sixteen-year old child taking the throne back then, and they still haven't changed their minds. They think-" He stopped, letting his eyes fall shut. 

"They think you've run this country into the ground," Katara finished quietly with the phrase he had used earlier, not believing a word of it. 

Wearily, he opened his eyes again, liquid gold in the moonlight. 

"Seems like it. And they've formed the Serpent's Circle right here, right under my nose," he said, his tone slowly growing more and more frustrated, like gathering storm clouds. 

The Serpent's Circle. 

A group of mutinous bastards, as Zuko had put it. It had all likely started with the Fire Lord's decision to distribute reparations to the three nations that had been under attack for the last one hundred years, specifically working alongside the Avatar to decolonize the Earth Kingdom and rebuild the entirety of the Southern Air Temple. The Fire Nation's resources were already stretched thin due to Ozai's exorbitant wartime expenses, but Zuko was unwavering in his attempt to right the wrongs of his forefathers. Unfortunately, a former pariah, no matter his royal lineage, had not earned the respect of his elders. Adamancy by the young when there should be deference was not taken lightly. 

Zuko's intelligence committee had informed him some months ago that a coup was brewing from within the depths of the palace. Shu Liang, the war minister, had been seen in the palace library after hours on more than one occasion, likely plotting into the long hours of the night with a few high-ranking members of his council.

"And after you knew it was them, you ordered the intelligence committee to try and pilfer some of their plans," Katara recounted. "But they've encrypted all their messages somehow, and now you don't know their next move, aside from the fact that they have people at the university here, and that..." 

She trailed off uncomfortably. 

"And that they want me dead," Zuko said tonelessly, eyes trained on the threadbare carpet between his legs. 

Katara's stomach twisted and her mouth tasted of acid. 

"If they want you....removed so badly, why are you even here, where there's so many of them?" she questioned, not wanting to repeat his foreboding words. 

"Uncle thinks I'm safer here, where it'll be more difficult for the Serpent's Circle's members to single me out among so many students. He wants me to lay low for now, and even hired Piandao and those two incompetent guards outside like I'm not perfectly capable of looking out for myself," he said bitterly. 

"And," he started, then stopped, slightly shifting from his position on the floor. 

"And..what?" 

"And...he thinks it might be good for me to, you know, learn. Everything in my life got cut short when I was banished, and I never got to finish my education properly," Zuko said, an almost petulant scowl curving his mouth. 

Katara barely had time to process this, and a teasing jab about him having to learn the alphabet all over again had just formed in her mind when she was interrupted by Zuko leaping to his feet. 

Katara quickly stood to match him, suddenly feeling small in the palpable defiance that was beginning to fill the tiny space. 

"But I can't Katara," he said, eyes wild. "I can't just sit here and do nothing when I know they're out there, working to undo everything I've fought for. I can't let them control my fate so easily like that...that- that's just not who I am," he said desperately. "I can't let them win again."

Katara took a step closer to Zuko, whose eyes were closed and chest was heaving with the effort to calm himself. She reached out with a tentative hand, deft fingers pulling a few droplets of water out of the air, converting it to a comforting chilly vapor, and cloaking it around his clenched fist, which was starting to emit red sparks and wisps of smoke. 

The corded muscles in his broad shoulders relaxed by a fraction. He opened his golden eyes and stared straight at Katara, who quickly let go of his hand, unaware that he missed the feeling of it the second she did. 

"I know you're going to tell me that it's too dangerous, that I need to listen to Uncle and keep my head down while he figures this out but-"

"No." 

Zuko stopped, surprise causing his steady stream of words to trip up in his throat. 

"No, what?"

Katara took a deep breath, praying to Tui and La that she wouldn't regret what she was about to say next. 

"No, I'm not going to stop you." she said, setting her jaw. 

"I'm in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is up! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting, it means so much to me! :) Hope you enjoy this chapter, and stay tuned to see Katara begin to mastermind Zuko's plan for taking down the Serpent's Circle!


	5. chapter five

Harsh sunlight beat down on Katara's head as she fidgeted in her seat. To her dismay, her business and trade class was located in the outdoor amphitheater opposite the marble torch plaza. The sun was blistering despite the strong breeze that intermittently gusted the leaves of overhanging trees, and Katara found herself discretely bending away the sweat that was beginning to pool on her brow. The professor down below on his podium was saying something about an assessment or test, but it was impossible for her to concentrate with the heavy feeling of her long, damp hair sticking to the back of her neck. She looked around jealously at her classmates, mostly young Fire Nation men, who seemed perfectly comfortable with their short hair neatly tied up and away. Reaching down to the bag at her feet, Katara yanked a long thin strip of black cloth from underneath her brush case.

Lifting her arms over her head, she scraped the tangled hair away from her neck and wound the strip of cloth around and around to fashion a bun that rested high on her crown. Now better able to feel the breeze brush her heated skin, she had barely exhaled in relief when she caught the glances of two men a few rows below her. They had twisted halfway on the weathered stone benches that lined the amphitheater to meet her eyes with their own, both sets glinting with mischief and something inexplicably darker that made her skin crawl. 

Belatedly, she felt the breeze steal across her lower stomach as she realized her arms were still above her head, frozen in hair-tying position. She quickly snapped her arms back to her side, fumbling to make sure the cropped blouse she had put on this morning due to the heat was properly in place, hating the two men for leering at her. This was never an issue when she was with them, Katara though bitterly. They had trekked through the dryest of lands, the most humid of swamps, and the hottest of deserts on their quest to take down Ozai, and not once did Sokka or Aang ever comment on whatever she wore to bear it. 

Her resentful thoughts quickly shifted into reminiscence of past adventures, her mind taking her back to sunny days whiled away perfecting her water whip and cool nights spent sleeping between the stars and the sky. She hardly noticed the exodus of other students in the rows below her as the class ended, the professor threatening their retreating backs with page numbers and deadlines as they filtered out into the plaza. Slowly, Katara moved to pack away her supplies, rolling up her freshly inked parchment with a faraway smile on her face as a particularly fond memory of a night at the theater filled her head. That night was the closest she had been to Zuko after their journey to find Yon Rha, and she suppressed a small laugh as she remembered his indignation at the actor who portrayed him on stage. 

Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on. 

How could you say that? 

*Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages!*

*How could you say that?* 

Her chest warmed as she recalled that night the timidly giddy feeling that bloomed in her heart when Zuko had slotted himself in the seat between her and Aang, but the feeling quickly faded when a shadow fell across the now empty desk in front of her. 

"Hey."

Katara looked up at the two figures in front of her, squinting against the bright sunlight. 

Her heart fell to her knees. 

"What?" she said flatly, her harsh tone surfacing her earlier resentment and bringing it to a boil. 

"Hey, hey, hey...what's the problem, what's the rush?" I'm Ruon-Jian, and this is Chan" the taller one of the two said, leaning forward to place one muscular hand on the back of Katara's bench so his fingers just touched the back of her shoulder, the other hand extended towards her own. 

She fought the reflexive urge to move out from under his touch, ignoring his outstretched hand and looking around instead. The amphitheater was almost empty, the last few students trickling out with the professor close behind. Her hand slowly crept to her left side and eased open the cap of her water skin, her fingers poised and hovering. 

"You have one minute to get your hands off me and tell me what you want before things get messy," Katara said in the same flat tone. 

To her surprise, Ruon-Jian let go of her shoulder immediately and stepped back, chuckling. The shorter man beside him who was watching the entire exchange reacted similarly, an irritating smirk on his face. 

"There's a party at my place this weekend," he said, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a slip of paper with a few characters messily scrawled on one side. He placed it onto the desk in front of Katara. 

"A lot of important people will be there, some higher-ups here at the university. Great networking opportunities if that's what you're looking for" he said with emphasis. "I'd love it if you were able to come, just let me know by the end of the week." 

He smiled lecherously, then turned to head down the stone steps with Chan in tow. 

Katara's initial revulsion at his seedy grin vanished as the weight of his words hit her. She didn't have time to waste another moment thinking about it. 

'Wait," she sputtered. 

He stopped and turned halfway down the steps, causing Chan to stumble into him. 

"I'll go. I'll...I'll see you there," she said. 

His smile widened. 

"Perfect. See you then," he said, and shot her a wink as Chan nudged his shoulder, smirking. 

Katara watched the two men as they descended the rest of the steps, swallowing her bitter distaste like the herbal drought Gran-Gran used to make her drink when she got sick. She picked up the slip of paper Ruon-Jian had given her, turning the papery material over and over in her hands. The letters glowed darkly against the translucent background every time she flipped it in the direct path of the sun’s rays. 

She needed to find Zuko.

Gathering her book bag and capping her water skin, she rose from her seat, muscles and joints protesting as they were suddenly jolted from their resting position. Following Ruon-Jian and Chan's path down the stone steps, she exited the amphitheater and ten minutes later (it should have been five, but she lost her way in the maze-like campus streets several times) she found herself in front of the same small building, on the threshold she had crossed just three days prior. 

Katara's mind on the way here had been full of racing thoughts and half-formed pieces of a plan, but now it was clouded with misgiving. What if someone found them out, if they got recognized? What if he didn't want to go, not with her at least? What if she was putting herself in danger, putting him in danger? 

She closed her eyes, mentally shaking herself and willing away worst-case scenarios before they could permanently taint her resolve. She had to tell him. She told him that she wanted in, he told her it was too dangerous, and they had argued for fifteen heated minutes in which she had to put out two small parchment fires, until he finally gave in. She had won, and she promised that she would keep her eyes open for something, anything that could give them a lead in taking down the Serpent's Circle. 

This was it, she was sure of it. 

Something Ruon-Jian said back in the amphitheater had activated a small part of Katara's memory. 

"The Serpent's Circle supposedly has ties to the university, likely through the sons and daughters of government officials, higher-ups, and other important people," Zuko had said three nights ago, his right arm draped horizontally across his knee as he absentmindedly launched a tiny golden ball of flames up into the air. 

The party this weekend would be their ticket in, an inside look at who they were dealing with, Katara thought as her shaky legs carried her up the stairs towards Zuko's door. Soon, she arrived at her destination, coming face-to-face with the same two nervous-looking royal guards. 

"Um, hello," Katara said with an awkward half-wave, trying to catch the gaze of one of the guards, whose crooked helmet partially covered his left eye. 

"I'm here to see Zuko?" she stated, her intonation rising at the end of her sentence as she quickly began to realize something was off. 

The two guards shared a shifty glance, not meeting her eyes. 

Crooked Helmet cleared his throat officially. 

"Good evening, Your Highness. Fire Lord Zuko is not currently in his quarters at the moment as he is..." he trailed off, glancing rather conspicuously at the other guard, who looked equally as anxious. 

"Feeding the...turtleducks at the pond in the palace garden," he finished, not looking at all convinced with his own statement. 

Katara narrowed her eyes slightly. 

"Alright well, I'll just wait here till he comes back then," she said dropping her book bag and herself on the wooden floor, resting her back against the wall opposite Zuko's door. 

The two guards exchanged looks once more. 

Crooked Helmet cleared his throat again. 

"He um....His Majesty will likely not be back before late, Your Highness. We will let him know that you called for him once he returns, so we humbly suggest that-"

"No, it's fine, really! I have a few assignments to get done before tomorrow anyway, might as well get started right here," Katara interrupted, flashing the guards a bright smile as she began pulling textbooks, ink, and brushes out from her bag. 

The guards both paused for a long moment before Crooked Helmet nodded uncomfortably, looking slightly miffed as Katara continued to set up a makeshift workspace in the narrow hallway. 

She set to work on the herbology essay her professor had just given on the Five Elements Theory of medicine, steadily filling up a scroll of parchment with neat characters while trying to ignore the inquisitive stares of the two men just feet away from her. 

After what seemed like hours, she finally finished her concluding paragraph on balance and imbalance in the body, allowing the paper to dry a moment before rolling it up with cramping hands. The oil lanterns lining the hallway burned low as nighttime settled over Caldera City. The guards had shifted from their standing positions and were now seated across from Katara, trying and failing to keep their eyes open in the dim light. 

Laughing quietly, she reached into her bag for her theory of politics textbook, intending to start on the sixty pages of reading assigned for tomorrow morning. She would have to mention to Iroh, if she ever saw him, to appoint guards who were a little more...steadfast in their training. 

But as the lanterns burned even lower and the pinpricks of stars began to pierce the sky, Katara found herself reading the same sentence over and over, not retaining any of the information. She blinked heavily, forcing herself to backtrack to the first word of the paragraph once more, but to no avail. The words began to blur together like ink in water, and soon her consciousness melted away into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five is up! I had some time this weekend so I cranked out a long-ish one. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and as always thank you for reading :)


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